Comparative Biogerontology Core: Richard Miller, Director The goal of the Comparative Biogerontology Core is to establish cryopreserved cell lines from multiple species of long-lived and short-lived birds and mammals, including long-lived and short-lived breeds of dogs, and to use these to learn more about the biochemical, biophysical, and cellular properties that are associated with exceptionally long lifespans as these have evolved under natural selection. The CBC cell archives are already being exploited by scientists at UM and at other institutions in studies of stress resistance, protein oxidation, lipid profiles, metal chelation, and sulfur amino acid metabolites as these relate to species and breed differences in aging rate and longevity.